Dropping Afghans a line

WASHINGTON - First it was bombs, then food, and now the US military is dropping paper on Afghanistan.

Nearly half-a-million leaflets have fallen from the sky, conveying the message that the US is not the enemy.

One leaflet showed a photo of an Afghan man shaking hands with a Western soldier, accompanied by the message: "The partnership of nations is here to help."

The US has been bombing Afghanistan since October 7.

Just hours after the first bombs fell, it dropped meal packets on the country. So far about 275,000 ration packs have been dropped.

The leaflets were written in English, Arabic, and languages of Afghanistan. One leaflet gave times and channels for radio broadcasts.

The broadcasts stressed that the offensive was against terrorism, not Muslims or the people of Afghanistan, a Pentagon spokesman said.

The broadcasts said bin Laden and the Afghanistan's ruling Taleban were responsible for the economic and political strife in the country.

And they also made the point that the United States was not interested in colonisation.

- REUTERS

Map: Opposing forces in the war against terror

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